Mickey Arthur ‘seeks time’ from PCB to respond to head coach offer

• Mickey Arthur is currently on a three-year contract with English county Derbyshire.
  
• South African to respond to PCB after discussions with Derbyshire, say sources. 
• Umar Gul strong candidate for bowling coach, sources say.

LAHORE: Former South African coach Mickey Arthur has sought some time from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to respond to its offer of becoming head coach of the national team once again, sources told Geo News on Monday.

The South African coach currently has a three-year contract with the English county Derbyshire. 

Sources said that Arthur would respond to the PCB after speaking to the county club.

Newly-appointed chairman of the PCB’s management committee, Najam Sethi, had hinted at hiring a foreign coach for the team soon after his appointment.

Sources said that the board is interested in hiring the services of the South African once again. They added that Arthur is also expected to arrive in Pakistan in a few weeks.

Arthur coached the national team from 2016 to 2019, during which Pakistan won the Champions Trophy.

Current head coach Saqlain Mushtaq and bowling coach Shaun Tait’s contracts expire on February 9.

Sources say that former fast bowler Umar Gul has emerged as a strong candidate to replace Tait as bowling coach. They added that interim chief selector Shahid Afridi has also recommended Gul for the appointment.

Gul, during his playing days was the spearhead of Pakistan cricket team’s pace attack and bamboozled batsmen around the world with his lethal yorkers.

The former pacer, a key member of the team that won the T20 World Cup for Pakistan in 2009 in England, retired with 427 international wickets to his name in 2020. He has played 47 Tests, 130 ODIS and 60 T20s for Pakistan.

The bowler retired after his side, Balochistan, was eliminated from the National T20 Cup by the Shan Masood-led Southern Punjab in October 2020.

He represented Pakistan for the last time in a one-day international in 2016 when the Green Shirts took on England in Cardiff. 

Post retirement, Gul joined the Afghanistan national team as its bowling coach in May 2022. 

His contract was for a year but on December 31 he announced parting ways with the Afghanistan national side. 

“As my coaching stint with the Afghanistan Cricket Team comes to an end, I’m grateful to them for putting their trust in me. I had a wonderful time working with the team and coaching the boys with the best of my abilities. I wish them the very best in the future!” Gul had tweeted.